Residents speak out about Milltown’s vulnerability during disasters

NBC Montana told you how fire fighters were met with low-powered hydrants in the Daytona Loop area of Milltown when fighting Wednesday’s dual house fire. The crews relied heavily on shuttled water, though firefighters say it’s not clue if the outcome would be different if the hydrants had been better.

Residents are also voicing concerns about the nearby railroad. On Wednesday, responders called train traffic to a halt during the efforts.

One viewer sent NBC Montana an online message, pointing out that there is only one road in and out of the neighborhood, and that train traffic can block the path for roughly 30 minutes at a time, giving her concern about if responders end up needing to get to a disaster site, but are blocked by train traffic

One Milltown resident tells NBC Montana that it would be a good idea to build a train bridge to fix the problem.

“It’s fortunate that the trains didn’t run [during Wednesday’s fire], I’ve sat there for 55 minutes once, and what if a house was on fire? … What’s one human life worth?” said Billy Izzard.

Copyright 2013 by KECI, KCFW, KTVM. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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